"You're too slow."
The storm of power dissipated.
Because the opponent showed no intention to kill, Harry held back. He still had many questions for this half‑giant.
He used his breath to channel strength, restraining the opponent's power.
Among Harry's "silver" attributes, his 2 points of magic power offered only rudimentary techniques—anti‑magic, basic magical release, slight strength enhancement. In contrast, his 4 points of qi, tempered by years on the battlefield, had unlocked many derived techniques.
The technique he used now—power blocking—was one he gradually mastered once his qi reached 3 points.
Everyone's qi circulates by different laws. Harry had spent enough time observing opponents and trial‑and‑error to internalize many techniques without a formal teacher.
Just as he mastered cold‑weapon combat purely through war, many of his skills were forged in violence, direct and lethal. Only after reaching invincibility did he leisurely explore auxiliary uses.
If magic or qi in this world were well developed, he could learn their techniques too.
He was particularly intrigued by Hagrid's flying motorcycle. If he could replicate that via magic, aerial combat would be possible.
"Who are you? Why are you chasing us?" Harry asked.
After the fight, something felt off. The giant looked fierce, but his aura lacked the feral intensity of a professional killer. He seemed more like a hunter—a potent one, but not outright murderous.
The giant steadied himself, peered down at Harry, and paused at the scar on Harry's forehead. He did not immediately answer.
Then he said: "So you're Harry."
"You know me?" Harry asked.
The giant's eyes narrowed; a half‑smile flickered across his rough face.
"Last time I saw you, you were just a baby. You look like your father, but your eyes—your eyes are exactly your mother's."
Harry stiffened. This was no pursuer from the Church—this was someone who had known his parents. The hostility had a different origin—perhaps Vernon and Petunia's mistreatment.
"You're a friend of my parents? You came to find me?" Harry asked, relief and suspicion mingling.
"YES," the giant replied.
What a misunderstanding—and what a narrow margin. He hadn't meant to do serious harm, but his first two punches must've stung badly.
Harry awkwardly attempted to use qi to heal the giant's external wounds, though the effect was middling.
During their conversation, Harry learned the giant's name: Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.
Hogwarts was a magic school. The letters that had been withheld were its doing. His parents had been graduates.
According to Hagrid, Hogwarts was arguably the best magical school in Britain, Europe, even the world—founded around 990 AD by the four greatest wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff.
The four houses were named for their founders. The school was hidden from Muggles, because in that era Muggles feared magic and many witches and wizards faced persecution.
Initially there was no formal wizard education system—magical children learned from parents. The four wizards created the school to cultivate new generations and protect wizard children from the tyranny of Muggles.
Many rules still stood. When Harry was born, his name was recorded in the Hogwarts Book of Admittance.
Now, having come of age, he was eligible—and an owl messenger had tried to deliver his acceptance letter early.
For wizards born to Muggle families, Hogwarts sent a staff member—Hagrid in Harry's case—to guide them.
Thus the Dursleys' removal of Harry wasn't to evade pursuit—but refusal to accept the magical world.
Vernon's hostility toward wizards, labeling them demons, led him to prevent contact with magic.
"So there are no demon hunters dispatched by the Pope? Wizards aren't hunted by the Inquisition?" Harry asked.
Hagrid looked confused. "What are you talking about? That's all from Muggle stories—TV, rumors."
He paused, then clarifed: "The Church's conflict with us was centuries ago. Demon hunters chasing us? That's ancient history. We don't pursue the Church.